Why doesn't a catalyst appear in the overall chemical equation for a reaction?

Video transcript

Hello everyone today. We have the following question, true or false. A catalyst is not included in the overall chemical equation for reaction since it is consumed during the reaction. So first let's review what a catalyst is. So in simplest terms, a catalyst is just something that speeds up a chemical reaction and it does this without consuming itself, so without consumption. And so we can say that a catalyst doesn't appear so it doesn't appear in the overall reaction because not only is it consumed in one step, it is regenerated in the next, so it's regenerated in the next step. And so if the catalyst were to be consumed in the reaction, it should appear in the overall reaction. So it should appear in the overall reaction if consumed. However, it is not. And so that's what makes this statement false. It is false that a catalyst is not included in the overall chemical reaction for reaction since it is consumed during the reaction. And with that we've answered the question overall. I hope this helped. And until next time.